I have survived my first test of the semester. I had to compose an argument with at least three but no more than four premises on the topic of terrorism, and complete it in 20 minutes. I had to identify key premises, the conclusion, and the indicator words of a 16 sentence argument, plus cast it (diagram it) and evaluate it as cogent or not cogent. I also had to define a bunch of logic terms. It took me 90 minutes. I can't believe half the class left after the first hour! I must have taken too much time on my essay, but geez, I can't write a sensible argument on the spot in twenty minutes and have my premises supported.
I feel okay about the test. I probably did just fine. But I won't know for two weeks because next Monday I'll be on the beach in Maui sipping Mai Tais. The heck with logical fallacies, let's have some more paper umbrellas and plastic monkeys, bartender.
I had lunch with Rich Coad today, and compared notes on our respective classes. He's taking something in the bio-mechanical end of things. I told him how excited I am that Chemistry for science morons is being offered in the spring. This means I'll get my lab requirement out of the way and fulfill an old ambition at the same time. I failed out of Chem in high school, I was too intimidated by the math, but this is just the ticket. It's specifically designed for humanities majors planning to transfer and needing a lab course. I am so there.
Business is definitely picking up. I took quite a few fare quote calls today, although not too many people bought a ticket. One woman calls me every couple of days hoping Continental has cancelled her flight for next month, or trying to bully me into refunding her ticket because "it ain't right that the airlines are keeping our money when they know we're afraid to fly." She's under the tragically mistaken assumption that anyone at the airlines cares. Sorry, maybe Gate Agent A does, or Baggage Handler B, but at the executive level? No. They've got their eyes on the bottom line because air travel is a business.
So is the travel agency, but sometimes you've got to stop looking at the ledger and give someone a break. I had an older gentleman come in late on Friday hoping to get a ticket to Baltimore for the same price as he was quoted by another agency. He spoke English with a heavy accent and his last name was Pakistani or Indian but he looked Kurdish. The ticket price quickly became a confused muddle as he had been quoted a student fare which he didn't qualify for, and I had to speak very slowly in order to explain how he could get an equally cheap fare but from a different airport. It took forever, and he didn't have enough money on him to buy it. I told him to come back Monday and I'd exchange the ticket which I would run now for his money then. He seemed terribly moved, and had a difficult time expressing himself in English. I was trying to shoo him out at 5:40pm, smiling but firm, as I had a train to catch in five minutes and we'd closed ten minutes previously.
As I stood at the door trying not to look at the clock he said, "In my language we have no word for thanks. But in your language I can say," and he placed his hand over his chest, "thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kindness today."
I was truly taken aback. It was a lot of work to deal with him, and I was doing him a favor by running his ticket to take advantage of the fare, but we often do this if we think the client is sincere about coming back. To him, though, it was clearly something more. And when he came in today and paid for his ticket he said, "I have a new thing I learned this weekend for you. I...I making...I am making for you up. That is the phrase, yes?"
I assured him he did not need to make anything up to me. He told me he was a very unlucky man, but I had been kind in spite of it. So he would pay me back somehow.
"No, no," I said. "But I hope your luck is turning."
He looked as though he believed it.
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